Students and staff at the Memorial Park School took part in a schoolwide assembly this morning. Students took a pledge to be kind and respectful to each other during the year. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Memorial Park teachers Liz Duggan, Sharon Santos, Beth Squatrito, Kerri Blake, Monica Kennedy and Julianne McKenna play a unicorn ring toss game during the assembly. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools) 
Memorial Park student Finley Texeira speaks with School Adjustment Counselor Holly Gage and School Psychologist Nicole Caron during the assembly. (Photo courtesy Rockland Public Schools)
ROCKLAND — Superintendent Alan Cron and Principal Janice Sheehan are pleased to announce that students at the Memorial Park School took part in a schoolwide assembly this morning to mark the start of the school year and to pledge to be kind and respectful members of the school community.
The schoolwide Positive Behavioral Support and Intervention System (PBIS) assembly was held Friday morning in the school gymnasium. As part of the assembly, each student took a new B.A.R.K. pledge, which stands for “Be Respectful, Act Responsibly, Remember Safety and Kindness Always.”
Students demonstrated whole-body listening and practiced a deep-breathing strategy. The school also celebrated its teachers with a unicorn ring-toss challenge.
The assembly also focused on the “paws” program, which Memorial Park students can earn by being respectful, responsible, safe and kind. Each paw goes into grade-level buckets and is then placed in a community bin. The goal is to fill the community bin and earn a schoolwide prize of a pajama day later this year. The winning individual grade level will win a starring role in the school’s next music video.
School Adjustment Counselor Holly Gage and School Psychologist Nicole Caron helped coordinate the assembly.
“It is so important to prioritize and highlight social and emotional skills that students can use throughout their day, which was the primary focus of this assembly,” Principal Sheehan said. “It felt great to have all of our students back together, and they were so responsive to the messages we were trying to convey. A big thanks to Ms. Gage and Ms. Caron for helping us celebrate our school’s values and mark the start of the new school year.”
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